G O D S
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‘Till
that Bellona’s bridegroom, lapped in proof,
Confronted him with self-comparisons,’
Ross, Macbeth
Bellona (Roman)
The Roman goddess of war, popular
among the Roman soldiers. She accompanied Mars in battle, and was variously
given as his wife, sister or daughter She was either the wife, daughter,
or sister of Mars, and was sometimes portrayed as his charioteer or muse.
This serpent-haired goddess is often described as the feminine side of
the god Mars. She is identified with the Greek war goddess Enyo. In front
of Bellona's temple, the fetialis (priestly officials) performed the declaration
of war ceremony, the casting of a spear against the distant enemy. Bellona's
attribute is a sword and she is depicted wearing a helmet. She could be
of Etruscan origin.
‘The curtained sleep.
Witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate’s offerings; and withered Murder,
Alarumed by this sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl’s watch, thus with his stealthy
pace,
With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards
his design’
Macbeth, Macbeth
Hecate (Greek)
Hecate brings good luck to
sailors and hunters or can withhold these blessings if undeserved, so fear
became a motivating factor in her worship. When Persephone was found with
Hades, Hecate remained with her as attendant and companion and as a result
has a share in the ruling over the souls in the underworld. Because of
her unearthly aspect she is regarded as a kind of queen of witches. She
is the goddess of darkness, and the daughter of the Titans Perses and Asteria.
Hecate represented the darkness and the terrors of the night. On moonless
nights she was believed to roam the earth with a pack of ghostly, howling
dogs. She was the goddess of sorcery and witchcraft and was especially
worshiped by magicians and witches, who sacrificed black lambs and black
dogs to her. As goddess of the crossroads, Hecate and her pack of dogs
were believed to haunt these remote spots, which seemed evil and ghostly
places to travelers. In art Hecate is often represented with either three
bodies (since she combined the attributes of Selene, Artemis, and Persephone)
or three heads, and with serpents entwined about her neck.
‘There’s comfort yet; they are assailable.
Then be thou jocund. Ere bat hath flown
His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecate’s
summons’
Macbeth, Macbeth
‘What hands are here?
Ha! they pluck out mine eyes.
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand?’
Macbeth, Macbeth
Neptune
The Romans worshipped him.
Sailors still pay homage to him. And artists throughout the centuries have
been inspired by him Neptune, the god of the sea. Neptunus, as he was known
in Latin, was originally the god of fresh water, the son of the god Saturn
and brother of Jupiter, king of the gods, and Pluto, god of the dead. Originally
a god of springs and streams, he became identified with the Greek god of
the sea, Poseidon. His festival was celebrated on July 23.
A key figure in Roman mythology, he was
thought to ensure the purity of spring waters, and to promote vitality
through cool, clear drinking water.
As the myth explains, Neptune
had a female counterpart, the goddess Salacia. Around the 4th century B.C.,
the two deities became identified with Greek maritime divinities: Neptune
with Poseidon, and Salacia with Amphrite. Over the years, Salacia/Amphrite
was gradually forgotten. But Neptune continued to stir the imagination
of painters, of poets, and even of scientists. The proof? Just look up
into the sky: the eighth major planet from the sun, which was discovered
in 1846, was named after him, giving Neptune his place among the stars.
‘In the most high and palmy state of Rome
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell.
The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted
dead
Did As stars with trains of fire and dews
of blood
Disasters in the sun, And the moist star
Upon whose Neptune’s empire stands.’
Horatio, Merchant of Venice
'If Hercules and Lichas
play at the dice
Which is the better man, the greater
throw may turn by fortune from the weaker
hand.
So is Aleides beaten by his page'
Morroco, Merchant of Venice
'The beards of Hercules and frowning Mars'
Bassanio, Merchant of Venice
Hercules
The most popular Greek hero,
he was famous for strength and courage. The son of Alcmene and Zeus, he
was hated by Hera, who sent serpents to his cradle to strangle him, but
he strangled them. Later Hera drove Heracles mad, and he killed his wife
and children. He sought redemption from King Eurystheus, who set him 12
mighty labors:
1. Kill the Nemean lion- Heracles strangled the
animal and wore the lion's skin.
2. Kill the Hydra-a terrible serpent with nine
heads.
3. Drive off the Stymphalian birds.
4. Clean the Augean stables, which had not been
cleaned for 30 years. He turned two rivers, the Alpheus and the Peneus,
through the stables, finishing the work in a single
day.
5. Capture the Cerynean hind, with the golden
horns.
6. Capture the Cretan bull.
7. Capture the flesh-eating wild mares of Diomedes,
king of Thrace. Hercules killed Diomedes and fed him to the horses.
8. Capture the wild Erymanthian boar.
9. Capture the cattle of the monster Geryon, which
dwelt on the fabled island Erytheia.
10. Capture Cerberus, the many-headed dog who
guarded the gates of the underworld. He brought Cerberus to Eurystheus,
but the king was so terrified that Heracles had
to return to Hades to take the monster back.
11. Procure the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of
the Amazons. He defeated the Amazons, killed the queen, and took the belt.
12. Procure the golden apples of the Hesperides
guarded by the four sister nymphs called the Hesperides.
Their father was Atlas, who supported
the heavens on his back. To obtain the apples Heracles took Atlas's place
while Atlas took the apples.
Later, the centaur Nessus tried
to carry off Heracles' wife, Deianeira. Heracles shot Nessus with a poisoned
arrow. The dying centaur had Deianeira keep some of his blood as a love
charm. When Heracles fell in love with another maiden, Deianeira sent him
a robe steeped in the blood. Heracles put it on, and poison spread through
his body like fire. He fled to Mount Oeta, built a funeral fire, and threw
himself on it to die. At his death he rose to Olympus, where he was reconciled
with Hera and married Hebe. He is more familiarly known by his Roman name
Hercules.
My father’s brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules.
Hamlet, Hamlet, Prince
of Denmark
Ay, that they do my lord, Hercules and
his load, too.
Rosencrantz, Hamlet, Prince
of Denmark
He pours it out; Plutus,
the god
of gold,
is but his steward: no meed but he repays
sevenfold above itself
Second Lord
Plutus
The god of riches (hence the
term plutocrat).
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